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Wednesday, May 7, 2014

Selfie-Obsessed

I have to be honest with you: I'm not sure why so many people are such vocal opponents of the selfie. Self-portraits have been A Thing in art since, oh, forever. And it may be true that my self:other ratio lists too far to the self side, but there is a good reason for it. The fact is, I'm always available as a subject.

Hey there, hi there, ho there.

Those of you who know me recognize that I'm a hardcore introvert, and I spend so much time alone--even at work--that it's natural for me to look inward for inspiration. This is why I take pictures of myself, write poems about my life, insert aspects of my personality into fictional characters. Think of it as a literal interpretation of the long-dispensed Creative Writing 101 maxim: write what you know.

And don't mistake it for narcissism. In America, we tend to place our emphasis on the individual, which means that, to an extent, we've taught ourselves to regard ourselves highly. But I don't think that's the same as being so self-centered that we are unable to look around and recognize that others exist. For me, it's a sort of self-actualization tool: the more I examine me, the more I am able to adapt and become a better person for the sake of society.

Yes, being a better person means showing the world my feet.

Perhaps this makes me unusual and everyone else is actually as self-obsessed as the critics say. But I'd like to think that we're all in the same--albeit large--boat, trying to understand and express ourselves via ourselves. And that's not such a bad thing to do, is it?